Painted Montana Sky: A Montana Sky Series Novella Read Free Page B

who’d sunk to the ground, no doubt because the blanket-wrapped animal was too heavy to carry.
    “See,” Tyler said, looking down into violet eyes, dazed as if she couldn’t absorb the news.
    “Thank you,” she mumbled, almost sobbing out the words.
    Tyler took a deep breath, tightened his stomach muscles, and lifted her. He carried her to Oliver, knelt, setting her next to his son, but he kept an arm around her thin shoulders.
    “My baby!” She gathered the dog to her body. “I thought I’d lost you.” She kissed the top of the animal’s head. “This was all my fault.”
    Dove whined and gave his mistress a feeble tongue lick.
    When the woman looked at Tyler again, her eyes shone with unshed tears. “Thank you. Thank you.”
    Something about those tears, the look of gratitude on her face, touched a place in his heart that had hardened when his wife left.
    “I got him the blanket,” Oliver piped up.
    She sent the boy a tenuous smile. “What a smart boy you are.”
    Oliver pointed. “It was really Pa’s idea.”
    She relaxed against him. “How smart you both are. And very courageous.” Although she strove for a light tone, Tyler could hear the tears behind it.
    He liked the feeling of her in his arms, although he suspected the woman didn’t realize she’d leaned into him for comfort. Up close, he could see she was pretty, with a fine-boned, narrow face and long-lashed violet eyes that reminded him of pansies. “I think you’re shaken up, ma’am. Why don’t we get you and Dove to the fire?”
    She sat upright. Pink tinged her cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how wet you are. You must warm yourself lest you become chilled.”
    Tyler shivered from the cold and was glad she wasn’t close enough to notice, although she was shaking, too. “It’s goin’ to take more than a little river water to make me chilled,” he lied.
    He rose to his feet, wincing as the breeze whipped through his wet clothes, then leaned over to take Dove out of her arms.
    Her hesitancy made Tyler suspect she was reluctant to release the dog, but common sense won out, and she relinquished the animal.
    Holding the dog under one arm, he extended a hand to help her up.
    She set her left hand, long-fingered and bare of any rings, in his, and obviously needed his support to rise to her feet.
    He couldn’t help comparing her awkward movements with Laura’s grace. The contrast to the woman who’d abandoned him and Oliver worked in this lady’s favor.
    Once she’d settled on her feet, he didn’t relinquish her hand, suspecting she’d continue to need his strength to walk over the uneven ground. He just hoped his power would continue to hold out. The cold water had sapped his energy, and he was like an engine that’d run out of steam. He wanted nothing more than to sit by the warm fire and dry off.
    Oliver galloped by the lady’s side, babbling out the story of the rescue.
    She nodded and made appropriate encouraging noises.
    They had to walk about a hundred yards before they reached the campfire.
    The dog grew heavier with each step. Once, the creature looked up at him with such trust and gratitude Tyler felt moved. He wasn’t given to keeping pets, working as he did with stock and needing a watchdog to warn off predators, but this animal seemed…almost human somehow.
    Without being prompted, Oliver raced back. He snatched Tyler’s hat off the ground and took it with him. At the fire, the boy grabbed up the spare blanket and shook it out.
    Good thing we brought extras . I thought we might get wet. They’d left saddle blankets spread in front of the fire, and Tyler guided the lady to one and helped her sit, and then wrapped a blanket around her. He handed the dog to her, and sank gratefully onto Domino’s blanket, allowing Oliver to drape the big one he held over his shoulders. “Thank you, son.”
    The lady vigorously toweled off the dog. When she ceased her efforts, he could see a very wet spaniel. She wrapped the